: Nintendo was notoriously slow in providing N64 dev kits to third-party developers. By the time Core Design received them, the game was nearly finished for other platforms.
In the mid-90s, an official N64 port of the original Tomb Raider (1996) was actively considered by Core Design. However, two major hurdles killed the project:
Recent breakthroughs in the homebrew community have finally brought a functional version of Tomb Raider to the N64. Here is the full story of the "lost" port, why it was canceled, and how you can finally play it today. The History: Why Was Tomb Raider Never on N64? tomb raider nintendo 64 rom download
: While still a work-in-progress, it is often demonstrated using the Analogue 3D with "Unleashed" overclock settings to maintain a stable framerate. How to Play Tomb Raider on N64
Because this is a homebrew project, you won't find it on official storefronts. Here is how the community is currently accessing it: : Nintendo was notoriously slow in providing N64
: If you are looking for a Tomb Raider -style experience that was actually developed for the N64 in the 90s, check out Riqa. This "Lara Croft clone" was canceled decades ago, but its ROMs were recently leaked and are fully playable on emulators. Comparisons: N64 vs. PlayStation
If the N64 port had been released in 1996, it likely would have looked significantly different: However, two major hurdles killed the project: Recent
: These ROMs are designed to work with advanced N64 emulators like Project64 or on original hardware via flash cartridges like the EverDrive.
After 30 years, a homebrew developer known as has achieved what the original developers couldn't. Utilizing the open-source TRX decompilation project, Snake has successfully ported the original Tomb Raider engine to run natively on Nintendo 64 hardware.
: Remarkably, the developer has managed to fit almost the entire game—including music and FMV sequences—into a size compatible with N64 cartridges.